How to do stone coping around a pool

Most pools look much better with a bit of coping around them to cover up the walls that surround them. Unlike the process of installing coping around standing walls, you follow the same procedure when installing coping around a pool as you would when installing ceramic tile flooring. In other words, you only need to attach the coping around the pool walls using some thin-set mortar.

Skill level:

Challenging

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Things you need

Coping stones

Marker

Chalk

Angle grinder

Diamond-edged angle grinder disc

Bucket

Thin-set mortar

Notched trowel

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Instructions

1

Place two stones on opposite ends of your pool if you have a round pool. If you have a square pool or a pool with straight edges, place one stone on each corner. Make sure that the dull edge of the stone sits right on the edge of the pool, hanging over the wall.

2

Continue laying stones around the pool. This process is called a "dry run" because you do not add adhesive yet. Keep an equal distance between stones while laying them. If you end up with a space that measures less than one stone, you must cut the stone using an angle grinder with a diamond-edge disc. Mark the line along the stone where you must cut it and clamp it to the edge of a sturdy table. Begin cutting in short strokes until you form a crevice in the stone and continue pressing against it to cut the remainder off.

3

Number each stone with a piece of chalk, starting from your desired starting point. This helps keep track of which stone goes where. Remove the stones after you finish this.

4

Mix mortar with water in a bucket using the proportions specified in the package that the mortar came in.

5

Apply a 3-foot section of mortar along the edge of the pool using a notched trowel. Lay your first stones on this 3-foot section and clean out any excess mortar from behind and between the stones. Continue this process until you've covered the entire pool edge.

6

Fill up the gaps between the stones with mortar, especially if you have a round pool. Clean off any mortar that gets on the actual stone. It is difficult to remove when it dries. Allow a day to pass for the mortar to dry before using the pool.